    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
    [October 16, 2004]
    [Pages 2542-2543]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    October 16, 2004

        Good morning. Over the past 4 years, I have brought a
    straightforward approach to the Presidency. I tell you what I'm going to
    do, and I keep my word. When I came into office 4 years ago, the economy
    was sliding into recession. Then terrorist attacks cost our Nation
    nearly a million jobs in 3 months. To help families and to get this
    economy growing again, I pledged to reduce taxes, and I kept my word.
    Now the results are clear. Over the last 3 years, America's economy has
    grown at the fastest rate of any major industrialized nation. The
    homeownership rate is at an alltime high, and we have added more than
    1.9 million new jobs in the past 13 months.
        My opponent has a different approach. Over
    the last 20 years, he has voted to raise taxes 98 times. Now he is
    promising over $2.2 trillion in new spending, and paying for it would
    require broad tax increases on small businesses and the middle class. I
    have a better plan. I will continue to be wise with taxpayers' money,
    and I will keep your taxes low.
        When I came into office, too many of our children were shuffled
    through school without learning the basics. I pledged to restore
    accountability and end the soft bigotry of low expectations, and I kept
    my word. Now our children are making sustained progress in reading and
    math, and we are closing the achievement gap for minority students.
        My opponent has pledged to weaken the No
    Child Left Behind Act. His proposals would undermine the accountability
    we worked so hard to pass. I have a better plan. We will keep demanding
    results for all our children, and we will leave no child behind.
        When I came into office, Medicare wasn't paying for the prescription
    drugs that can reduce health costs and save a lot of lives. I pledged to
    strengthen and modernize Medicare for our seniors, and I kept my word.
    Now seniors are saving money with drug discount cards. And in 2006, all
    seniors will be able to get prescription drug coverage.
        On health care, my opponent has a history
    of opposing needed reforms. He voted against the Medicare bill even
    though it was supported by the AARP and other seniors groups. He has
    voted 10 times against medical liability reform, and now his health care
    proposal calls for bigger, more intrusive Government. Eight out of ten
    people who get health care under his plan would be placed on a
    Government program. I have a better plan. I will protect doctors and
    patients from junk lawsuits, help employees in small businesses afford
    health coverage, make sure every poor county has a community health
    center. And I will make sure health decisions are always made by
    patients and doctors, not by officials in Washington, DC.
        In this time of change, some things do not change. Those are the
    values we try to live by, courage and compassion, reverence and
    integrity. I stand for a culture

    [[Page 2543]]

    of life in which every person matters and every being counts. I stand
    for marriage and family, which are the foundations of our society. I
    stand for the appointment of Federal judges who know the difference
    between personal opinion and the strict interpretation of the law.
        My opponent says he supports the
    institution of marriage, but he voted against the Defense of Marriage
    Act, which Congress passed by an overwhelming majority and my
    predecessor into law. My opponent has
    voted against sensible bipartisan measures like parental notification
    laws. He voted against the ban on partial-birth abortion.
        On issues that are vital to this Nation's future, all Americans know
    where I stand. I'm a compassionate conservative. I believe in policies
    that empower people to improve their lives, not try to run their lives.
    I believe in helping men and women find the skills and tools to prosper
    in a changing world. I have worked to help all Americans build a future
    of dignity and independence. And that is how I will continue to lead
    this Nation for 4 more years.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 10:45 a.m. on October 15 at the
    Jacksonville Inn in Jacksonville, OR, for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on
    October 16. The transcript was made available by the Office of the Press
    Secretary on October 15 but was embargoed for release until the
    broadcast. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish
    language transcript of this address.